Cold storage boxes



April 22, 1958 Filed Aug. 16. 1954 W. L. MORRISON COLD STORAGE Boxxas 3Sheets-Sheet 1 PY 22, 1958 L.. MORRISON com STORAGE BOXES Filed Aug. 16.1954 Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 4 .Y Y w 4/" rm". 4 L /1 ,h

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INVENTOR, WILLARD L. MORRISON By Parker Carter ATTORNEYS April 22, 1958Filed Aug. 16. 1954 Fig. 4*

W. L. MORRISON COLD STORAGE BOXES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 By Parker 8x CarterATTORNEYS United States Patent O COLD STORAGE BOXES Willard L. Morrison,Lake Forest, lll. Application August 16,1954, Serial No. 450,202 iClaim- (Cl. 31a-#214) My invention relates to improvements in coldstorage boxes and has for one object to provide a new and improvedforr'n of cold'storage box which under some circumstances may be usedfor refrigeration at temperatures above freezing or under othercircumstances may be used for storage of food and other heat sensitivematerial at temperatures below freezing.

Heretofore such boxes have .been made of metal or wood with insulatingmaterial contained in the walls of the box and supported by the walls,the walls having no structural strength and relying for its support andfor its maintenance in position to enclose the material contained in thebox entirely upon the structural elements.

I propose on the other hand to provide a box or casing I wherein theinsulating means are in the main self-supporting so that the walls ofthe box which enclose the material being refrigerated servesimultaneously as insulating and structural elements.

Preferably, I propose to use in the construction of the box such aninsulating material as balsa wood which is, though soft, substantiallystrong structurally and which when assembled in a box will provide asubstantially, completely non-metallic casing which is self-supportingand insulating. v

It will be understood, of course, that the insulating character of thebalsa wood is dependent in part at least on the fact that it is a softlightweight porous material and being soft and lightweight while ofample strength is subject to some measure of penetration by impact ordistortion as a result of impact and I therefore propose to reinforcethe balsa wood insulating and structural box at a few places to preventdanger of marring, scuiiing and deterioration.

Balsa wood being porous, does not provide the best possible vaporbarrier so under some circumstances the balsa wood box will be linedwith a thin vapor barrier layer which might take the form of paint orlacquer or a thin box supported metal wall but in the main the balsawood furnishes not only the insulating means but the structural strengthfor the box.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specificationand claims.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the box;

Figure 2 is an end elevation;

Figure 3 is a plan view;

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the box assembly.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specificationand drawings.

I have not illustrated the refrigerating machine itself. This will takethe form of the usual compressor, motor to drive the compressor,expansion or storage chamber, condenser and means for cooling thecondenser. This assembly will be supported with the box preferably belowthe cold storage chamber and the evaporator coils or the places, as thecase may be, will be contained within the chamber in serieswith thecompressor and condenser supported below or if desired, at one: sideofthe chamber.`

I propose that the box will be assembled as a unit and then therefrigerating machinery will be placed in relation-l ship with the boxand connected up with the evaporator or cooler coils or plates. Y

1, 1 indicates the-v end, topplates, there being Atwoof them at eitherend of the box. 2, 2 are the side box plates, there. being two of themon either side joining thel end top plates. 3 is the top plate dividen`4, 4 indicates the four corner posts, 5, 5 the intermediate lcentersupport.l 6 is a plywood bottom panel 'supported by the.l posts 4 and 5.The corner posts 4 are notched diagonaleA posts.

ly as indicated to support theend louvers 7. The corner posts and thecenter support posts are` notched diagonally v to" support the sidelouvers 8. 9 is an end cross bar, 10 a center cross bar. '.11, 12v areside louver bases immedi` atelyv above the skid bases 13 on which thestructure rests. All these wood elements are of relatively hard or solidwood, Vpine or other similar type of wood habitually used for structuralpurposes. located at the top of the vessel or ,box and subject to wearand tear when food or other material is taken into or out of the box.The corner and end posts support the box on the skid bases through thecross bars 9 and 10.

16 is the top lid preferably of balsa wood, there being two of them andthey rest upon the two openings at the cated to receive and enclose thecorner and center support posts. The topv plate 3 is supported andreinforced by the top divider stop 20 of balsa wood which also furnishesinsulation for the space or clearance between the two covers 16.

26 is a refrigeration unit with temperature controls and the like shownonly in outline and not illustrated because the particular details ofthis refrigeration machine form no part of the present invention. 27illustrates cold plates in series with the refrigerator by way of theducts 28 so that operation of the refrigeration machine will cause thecold plates 27 to act as evaporators and lower the temperature of theplates and so the temperature of the contents of the box. 33 indicatesrubber gaskets for the lids 16. These lids 16 of hard wood on theirupper surface are insulated by balsa wood filling panels 32 whichinsulate the lids themselves and penetrate between the members 1 and 2.34 indicates an aluminum foillining for the box. This lining may becemented or glued to the inner walls of the balsa wood box and to thelower surfaces of the doors :or lids, thus furnishing both a vapor sealfor the box and a waterproof lining for the box to prevent the danger ofimpregnation of the insulation by water as a result of condensationabove the freezing temperature, of vapor migrating from the contents ofthe box to the cold plates. Under some circumstances such lining may beomitted or it might take the form of paint, enamel-or any other suitablematerial coating the box lining.

The wooden box, the louvers and the supporting wood mechanism will ofcourse be painted or venameled as is usual, in the refrigeration andfreezer industry.

3S indicates wood dowel pins joining and tying the posts and cross barswith the balsa wood side and end and other panels so that so far as ispossible, there will be no metal in the structure except that abovereferred to and the wood screws 43 which tie the cross bars 9 and 10 andthe louver bases 11 and 12 together to the wooden skid base 13.

While I prefer t-o make the end, side and bottom panels t A.PatentedApr. 22, 195,8

The end and side top plates are` forming the' box-of a porous relativelylight material having -high insulation eiect, such as balsa wood, itwill be understood that other light, porous material of sufficientstrength to form the body of the boxand having suciently-h'igh'insulating characteristics jma'y* be used.

When balsa is used, sincebalsa'wood of commereis usually in smallpieces, these pieces Will be cemented or glued together to form'thepanels, a suitable number and size of these pieces being used for thatpurpose;

I claim:

A refrigerator box comprising horizontal bottom, and vertical end andside slabs of alight porous insulating Wood4 such as balsa, corner postsof Wood stronger and more resistant than balsa, inletsinto thefourucorners of the `box whereby the posts are flush with the ,balsaslab, wood-dowels holding the posts in place in the slabsand holding theslabs together, the -postsextending downwardly below the bottom slab,the box being open at the top, hardwood reinforcing plates' masking theupper edges of thev side and end slabs andoverlying and in directcontact with the posts, the plates being zo-extensive with and at outerand inner edges ush with the sides of the slabs, a non self-supportingmetallic foil liner adhering to the inner face of bottom, end and sideslabs, a refrigeration coil supported on one lof the vertical slabs incontact with the foil lining, the corner posts being insulated from theinterior of the box by the balsa interposed between the inner surfacesof the posts and the interior of the box.

References Cited inthe le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,133,299l,Lundin Mar.30, 1915 1,385,274 Rhodes July 19, 1921 1,471,503 MeyerOct. 23, 1923 1,486,113 Baxter Mar. 4, 1924 1,598,922 Mason Sept. 7,1926 1,789,288 Auld Jan. 20, 1931 1,948,780 Adams -l r Feb. 27, 19342,083,852 v ',McrClanalvlanV `Tune 15, 1937 2,094,740 Green ;v l Oct. 5,19,37 2,711,380

